Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for a communication device operating within an active load management system to control transmission of at least one message over a fixed bandwidth communication link, the at least one message providing information relating to electric power consumption by power consuming devices located at a service point at which the communication device is located and fixedly positioned, the method comprising: receiving at least one control message from a central controller, the at least one control message including transmission time determination parameters, the transmission time determination parameters including (a) an identifier associated with the communication device, (b) a number representing a quantity of communication devices within the active load management system, (c) a number representing a quantity of transmission increments within a reporting period during which messages are to be transmitted by the plurality of communication devices, and (d) identification of a transmission increment assigned to a group of communication devices containing the communication device; and determining a transmission time for the at least one message based on the transmission time determination parameters; wherein the step of determining a transmission time for the at least one message comprises: determining a quantity of communication devices within the group containing the communication device based on (a) the number representing the quantity of communication devices within the active load management system and (b) the number representing the quantity of transmission increments within the reporting period; determining a duration of the transmission increment assigned to the group containing the communication device; and determining a transmission time for the at least one message based on (a) the identifier associated with the communication device, (b) the quantity of communication devices within the group containing the communication device, and (c) the duration of the transmission increment assigned to the group containing the communication device.
A communication device in a load management system transmits power consumption data over a fixed bandwidth link. The device receives a control message from a central controller that includes its unique identifier, the total number of communication devices, the number of transmission increments (time slots) within a reporting period, and which time slot is assigned to its group. The device calculates its specific transmission time based on this information: first, determining the number of devices in its group using the total device count and the number of time slots. Next, it calculates the duration of its assigned time slot. Finally, the device determines its precise transmission time using its unique ID, the number of devices in its group, and the duration of its assigned time slot.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining a duration of the transmission increment assigned to the group containing the communication device comprises: determining the duration of the transmission increment allocated to the group of communication devices containing the communication device based on the quantity of transmission increments within the reporting period and a duration of the reporting period.
The method for determining the transmission time, as described previously, calculates the duration of a transmission time slot by dividing the total reporting period duration by the number of time slots within that reporting period. Specifically, the device calculates the time slot duration based on the quantity of transmission increments within the reporting period and the overall length of the reporting period, allowing it to schedule its data transmission accurately within the allocated window.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting the at least one message at the transmission time over the communication link.
The communication device, after determining its specific transmission time as described in the previous claims, transmits its power consumption data message over the fixed bandwidth communication link at that calculated time. This ensures that the message containing information about the electric power consumption by devices at the service point is sent to the central controller according to the scheduled time.
4. An active load management system operable to control transmission of messages over a communication link, the messages providing information reporting electric power consumption by power consuming devices located at service points receiving electrical power from a utility, the active load management system comprising: a plurality of active load client devices, each active load client device including: a communications interface operable to receive at least one control message indicating a transmission time for transmitting at least one report message, the at least one report message providing information relating to electric power consumption by power consuming devices located at a service point at which the active load client device is located; and a device control manager operably coupled to the communications interface, the device control manager operable to generate the at least one report message and supply the at least one report message to the communications interface for transmission at the transmission time; an active load director that includes: an active load client manager operable to: determine a transmission period during which report messages are to be transmitted by the plurality of active load client devices, determine a plurality of transmission increments within the transmission period, allocate each transmission increment to a respective group of the plurality of active load client devices, determine transmission times for the report messages based on (a) identifiers for the plurality of active load client devices, (b) respective durations of transmission increments allocated to respective groups of the plurality of active load client devices, and (c) a quantity of active load client devices in each group, and generate control messages that include indications of the transmission times; and an active load client interface operably coupled to the active load client manager and the communication link, the active load client interface operable to communicate the control messages to the plurality of active load client devices over the communication link.
An active load management system controls the transmission of power consumption data from multiple devices to a central controller. Each client device has a communication interface to receive control messages specifying its transmission time. A device control manager generates reports about power consumption and sends them at the designated time. A central controller (active load director) determines a transmission period and divides it into time slots, assigning each slot to a group of client devices. The controller calculates the transmission time for each device based on its unique ID, the time slot duration for its group, and the number of devices in the group. The controller then communicates these transmission times to the client devices via control messages.
5. The active load management system of claim 4 , wherein the active load director further includes: a utility control center command processor operably coupled to the active load client manager and a second communication link between the active load director and a control center of the utility, the utility control center command processor operable to receive from the control center of the utility and provide to the active load client manager at least one update message including (a) the identifiers for the plurality of active load client devices, (b) a number representing a quantity of the plurality of active load client devices, (c) a number representing a quantity of the plurality of transmission increments within the transmission period, and (d) identifications of transmission increments assigned to groups of the plurality of active load client devices; wherein the active load client manager is further operable to determine transmission times for the report messages based on the at least one update message.
The active load management system described previously incorporates a utility control center command processor. This component receives update messages from a utility control center via a separate communication link. These update messages contain the identifiers of all client devices, the total number of devices, the number of transmission time slots, and the assignment of time slots to device groups. The central controller (active load client manager) then uses this updated information to recalculate and determine the report transmission times for each device.
6. The active load management system of claim 4 , wherein the communications interface supports a wide area wireless protocol.
In the active load management system previously described, the communication interface used by the client devices to receive control messages and transmit power consumption data supports a wide area wireless protocol. This means that devices can communicate wirelessly over a broad geographical area, enabling remote monitoring and control of power consumption without relying on wired connections.
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October 7, 2014
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